Artwork
Das tapfere Schneiderlein
Das tapfere Schneiderlein is an oil painting by Max Buri. It dates from 1913 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Max Buri’s 1913 oil painting *Das tapfere Schneiderlein* portrays a moment from a Swiss folk tale, rendered with quiet realism.
Max Buri’s 1913 oil painting *Das tapfere Schneiderlein* portrays a moment from a Swiss folk tale, rendered with quiet realism. The work belongs to a series of genre scenes Buri produced during the early 20th century, focusing on rural Swiss life. It is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains a representative example of his interest in ordinary people and intimate domestic settings.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a moment from the folktale of the brave tailor, a story of cunning over strength. Five men are shown gathered around a table, their postures suggesting dialogue or deliberation. The narrative is not dramatized but quietly implied through their interactions, reflecting Buri’s preference for understated storytelling rooted in local tradition rather than theatricality.
Technique & Style
Buri employed oil paint to build subtle tonal variations and soft transitions between light and shadow. The composition centers the figures around the table, with natural light entering from a window behind them, grounding the scene in a believable interior space. Clothing and facial expressions are rendered with restrained detail, emphasizing mood over ornamentation.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1913, the work entered the Kunsthaus Zürich’s collection shortly after its completion. Buri, a native of the region, often depicted local subjects, and this painting was likely acquired as part of a broader effort to document Swiss cultural identity through art. Its provenance remains unbroken since its creation, with no record of public exhibition beyond institutional holdings.
Context
During the early 1900s, Swiss artists increasingly turned to regional folklore and peasant life as a counterpoint to urban modernization. Buri’s work aligns with this trend, drawing from oral traditions to affirm cultural continuity. Unlike contemporaries who idealized rural life, he presented it with unembellished observation, reflecting a broader European interest in authenticity.
Legacy
While not widely known outside Switzerland, *Das tapfere Schneiderlein* endures as a quiet example of early 20th-century Swiss genre painting. It contributes to the understanding of how regional narratives were preserved in visual form during a period of rapid social change. Buri’s focus on everyday moments continues to inform studies of Swiss cultural representation in art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Max Alfred Buri (24 July 1868, in Burgdorf – 21 May 1915, in Interlaken) was a Swiss painter. He specialized in portraits of the local peasantry and genre scenes.
